The 14th Intervarsity Choral Festival: ADELAIDE, 21-30 May 1963

Camp Venue: Bible Institute, Mt Breckan, via Victor Harbour
Participants: AUCS, QUMS, MUCS, MonUCS, NEUCS, UWAUCS, TUCS, SCUNA, SUMS

COMMITTEE

Convenor: Jono Haslam
Secretary: Ian Brice
ConMan: Heather Mackay
Librarian: Beryl Roberts
Billeting: Heather Mackay
Committee: Norman Peart

CONCERT

29 May, Adelaide Town Hall
Conductor: Bryan Dowling; Hugh Brandon; Rex Hobcroft; John Winstanley; Ian Allen; Rex Hobcroft; Lewis Dawe
Soloists: Geraldine Hodge, Ruth Gurner, Stewart Ogilvie, Bryan Dowling
Program: God Save the Queen; Bach Christmas Oratorio (excerpts, MUCS+MonUCS); Sweelinck Psalm 122, Psalm 96, Walton Set me as a seal upon thy heart, What cheer (QUMS); Bateson Your shining eyes, Beauty is a lovely sweet, Weelkes Cease sorrows now, Come sirrah Jack ho (TUCS); Kodály Matra Pictures (SUMS); Buxtehude Cantate Domino, Mozart Laudate Dominum (NEUCS+SCUNA); Fauré Requiem (excerpts, UWAUCS); Vaughan Williams Valiant-for-truth (AUCS), Beethoven Mass in C (combined); Gaudeamus Igitur.
Notes: Elder Conservatorium Senior Orchestra. Org: Ashleigh Tobin.
Review: John Horner, “Choral singing by universities”, Advertiser, 30 May 1963, p.9. “A new power has arisen in our musical land … Last night in Adelaide Town Hall, a large audience … was startled to hear the choral societies of all the Australian universities (with the regrettable exception of the NSW University of Technology) singing with one splendid voice and the unmistakable enthusiasm of youth. The massed choirs, 280 strong … sounded firm and impressive in Beethoven’s Mass in C … During the first two hours, the individual choral societies gave us their separate contributions to this stimulating festival of choralism. By design or accident no two contributions were alike, and the great variety resulting ensured an interesting programme … Queensland’s 47 [singers] produced firmly blended evenness of tone … [T]o my mind, the most remarkable choralism was contributed by Sydney (45).[In] their excellent choice … intonation, elasticity [and] articulation were excellent.”